Shoulder Holsters: Beyond The Mystique

Guns Magazine, August, 1999 by Massad Ayoob

The true horizontal shoulder holster, like Gaylord's defining Dynamite, holds the gun barrel exactly parallel to the floor beneath you. No shoulder rig is faster; Gaylord was right about that. If you do it right, a short movement brings the gun directly to bear on the chest of your close-range opponent.

The downside is, unless you have a barrel chest as deep as Arnold Schwarzenegger's, you're limited to a short-length pistol. The Colt Defender or Officers, the S&W 3913, compact TSW or Chiefs Special autos, the baby Glock and the .38 snubs Gaylord originally had in mind work best in this type of carry.

An upside-down shoulder holster holds the gun's barrel perpendicular to the ground when you're standing. These are generally made for very small guns like .38 snubbies. Good news: they conceal very well. Bad news: you cross your own armpit and subclavian artery every time you draw.

There are some hybrid shoulder holsters, also called "semi-horizontal" or "semi-upside-down." These are today's most popular shoulder rigs. Almost all the "shoulder systems" that carry multiple gear fit this description.

As with all shoulder holsters, they can work through heavy winter garments that button instead of zip, so long as the buttons are left open at a strategically correct point.

Good news: they have a broad range of adjustment to get everything to hang exactly right. Bad news: they show the gun through an open garment if you bend forward because the weight of the gun brings the holster forward too. If they don't have tie-down straps attached to the belt, they fly around and slap against you unmercifully if you have to run, and won't be in one exact place when you need to reach for your gun during that strenuous activity.

Some hybrid designs can be adjusted to true horizontal carry, which is a good thing. Virtually all of them depend on a safety strap to hold the gun in the holster against the force of gravity.

Keys To Shoulder Holster Draw

Many law enforcement agencies, shooting match sponsors and private shooting schools prohibit shoulder holsters. That's because when the gun is drawn from one, it can cross the people behind the shooter, the people on the shooter's weak-hand side, and the arm of the shooter himself.

Street-savvy trainers are also concerned that in the across the body shoulder holster draw, the shooter leaves himself open to an easy "pin" or "parry" by the lethally dangerous opponent, who has only to reach out with one hand and press the shooter's drawing arm against the shooter's chest. These are very real and relevant concerns. Fortunately, they can all be answered with proper training and technique.

There are two keys to a defensive draw from a shoulder holster.

As you draw, step back with your gun-hand side leg. This "quarters" your body to the threat in a way that lets you pull the gun out of the holster and bring it immediately on. It also greatly reduces the chance of the opponent grabbing your gun or stalling your draw.

As you draw, raise your holster-side arm. This keeps you from crossing your own arm with your gun muzzle. It also wards off a close-range attacker. You can either thrust straight out with a palm-heel blow to force the opponent back, or raise your upper arm parallel to the ground with your weak-side elbow up, the famously effective blocking technique popularized by police martial artist Kerry Najiola.